A novel machine learning‐based web application for field identification of infectious and inflammatory disorders of the central nervous system in cattle

Abstract Background Central nervous system (CNS) infections in cattle are a major cause of economic loss and mortality. Machine learning (ML) techniques are gaining widespread application in solving predictive tasks in both human and veterinary medicine. Objectives Our primary aim was to develop and compare ML models that could predict the likelihood of a CNS disorder of infectious or inflammatory origin in neurologically‐impaired cattle. Our secondary aim was to create a user‐friendly web application based on the ML model for the diagnosis of infection and inflammation of the CNS. Animals Ninety‐eight cattle with CNS infection and 86 with CNS disorders of other origin. Methods Retrospective observational study. Six different ML methods (logistic regression [LR]; support vector machine [SVM]; random forest [RF]; multilayer perceptron [MLP]; K‐nearest neighbors [KNN]; gradient boosting [GB]) were compared for their ability to predict whether an infectious or inflammatory disease was present based on demographics, neurological examination findings, and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) analysis. Results All 6 methods had high prediction accuracy (≥80%). The accuracy of the LR model was significantly higher (0.843 ± 0.005; receiver operating characteristic [ROC] curve 0.907±0.005) than the other models and was selected for implementation in a web application. Conclusion and Clinical Importance Our findings support the use of ML algorithms as promising tools for veterinarians to improve diagnosis. The open‐access web application may aid clinicians in achieving correct diagnosis of infectious and inflammatory neurological disorders in livestock, with the added benefit of promoting appropriate use of antimicrobials.